Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Tutu Man

Another Thursday....another ski bus day.  As we pulled into Mt Hood Meadows one February morning I noticed something I hadn't seen for awhile - blue sky!


Yahoo sunshine!

Alright!  Not immediately seeing my "Men in Red" skiing companions from the Vancouver bus, I jumped on the lift and enjoyed a couple quick runs before meeting up with the guys.


Brian models his tutu for me

But, what's this?  Brian was wearing a tutu!  A 6 foot 6 inch tall guy with a flouncy blue skirt hanging below his jacket.  I asked him if he'd lost a bet or something.  Turns out his niece likes tutus and he'd donned the frilly garment just for her.


Sun breaking out of low clouds

Now that's a man who's not afraid to get in touch with him feminine side!  Of course, we gave Brian a ton of ribbing, but I had to admire his spirit - and courage.


Skiing down from the very top

It was fun to watch the other skier's reactions to an extremely tall man in a tutu.  One guy just couldn't stop staring as he passed by.  Finally Glen called out "yes, it's a tutu!"


Descending into the clouds

A sunny, calm day meant the resort's highest lift, the Cascade, was open.  My friends and I eagerly packed into a chair for a scenic ride to the top.


"Let's try this run!"

Although the day had started out sunny, foggy clouds began to swirl in the valleys below.  From the top of the highest lift, it made for some cool views (and photos!)


The guys admiring clearing skies

With a group of four, chairlift discussions often centered around which run to try next.  When someone proposed a trail of questionable conditions, Glen would laugh and say "How bad can it be?"  It got to be such a frequent comment we all started to repeat the phrase.  Pretty soon it became an inside joke - and our group's new motto!


There they go!

Since this year's skiing photos mostly consisted of my friends standing around, I set my GoPro on "burst" mode to try and capture some action (and prove that, yes, we really do ski!)


Tutu man in action

Due to the GoPro's extremely wide angle lens, I learned the hard way that in order to get photos where the skier isn't a tiny dot, your subject must be extremely close.  After shooting dozens of images, I finally discovered this by accidentally capturing Brian as he swooshed by.



Spectacular scenery!

The day's blue skies and intermittent clouds made for some spectacular scenery.  It's weather like this that makes me happy to be outside in winter.


The view from HRM lift

When someone suggested we try the trails off the HRM (short for "Hood River Meadows") lift, the group was skeptical.  The resort's lowest elevation chairlift, it normally had the worst snow conditions.  But we all agreed to give it a try.  (After all, how bad can it be??)


I've never seen the surrounding hills look so good

Surprisingly, HRM turned out to have the best snow.  Not only that, the clear skies and sunshine on nearby snow-dusted hills were absolutely stunning.  I never knew HRM could look so good!  My friends and I made lap after lap until our legs cried for mercy.  Well, that and it was almost happy hour.....


My "Men in Red" ski buddies

Another great day on the slopes with my friends!  Sunshine, good snow, a little goofiness, and lots of laughs.


24 comments:

  1. What a spectacular day on the slopes! You've captured amazing images.
    Brian looks fabulous in his tutu.

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  2. I envy you your ski days. Such beautiful scenery, and of course the skiing. Far behind me now.
    And Brian.. I like your style!
    Great post, Linda!

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  3. Hello Linda,
    Very nice pictures.
    Great to see this wonderful place with snow.
    You must have be a great time.

    Best regards,
    Marco

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  4. Hello Linda, these are all fabulous photos of the sky, mountains and the snow. The tutu was funny. So glad you and your friends in red had a great day on the slopes. Happy Thursday, enjoy your day!

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  5. Wearing red is a great idea. Just looks fantastic against the white snow and blue skids. I think the tutu idea will definitely catch on.

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  6. Good for Brian - I liked his action shot with the swishing tutu! Love the sunshine and blue sky, too. We had 15" of new snow to ski yesterday - surprisingly dry for this time of the year. My knees are a little stiff this AM!

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  7. Linda, it looks like a great time! Refreshing, fun and beautiful!

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  8. Gorgeous day! It's nice your ski buddies all wear red jackets, they really pop out in your photos.

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  9. Now that's a perfect ski day - and some gorgeous photos too!

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  10. Looks like another beautiful day of skiing!

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  11. HAHA! Love that tutu :) What a gorgeous day. And the photos are spectacular!

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  12. Blue skies are always welcome, no matter what you're doing! The snow on the trees is so pretty but the guy in the tutu is amazing!

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  13. Love your ski trips via your photography. Glad you have friends to ski with you. Tutu man was fun! I never had the chance to ski. If I did I would be shooting photographs too. So I just enjoy yours! I've not been to the tulip field yet. Probably late next week. Mud or nor mud, there I'll be!!! Have a good weekend!

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  14. Life would be a lot more fun if we all wore tutus more often.

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  15. Got to love a guy with a sense of humour! Great photos.

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  16. Nobody would look twice at a man in a tutu on my ski hill. There are plenty of tutus, easter bunnies, santa clauses, onesies, '90s snow suits, etc up there!

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  17. Looks like all day was happy hour! BTW, at the Oregon Country Fair, Brian would be just another guy in a tutu

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  18. I've not got a GoPro but modern cameras have improved so much since the old days when even a substantial mountain photographed up close would be a small dot on a hand sized rectangle that it's a pleasure now to be a landscape photographer, professional or keen amateur alike. Great photos of your day out.

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  19. We had snow in the mountains this week! Although I suspect it would have only just made a single snowball if it was gathered together - but you have to start somewhere I suppose.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  20. Your men in red have a following now! I liked the blue tutu! :)

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  21. Hi! The scenery of the skiing area is very beautiful. The sky is blue. It looks like a real sky. Thanks for introducing very funny man!

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  22. Your friend Brian is his tutu made me laugh, that was sweet of him to wear it for his niece. Loved the scenery shots, the view really is gorgeous.

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